Taking your pets poop into the vet with them as part of their yearly checkup is an essential part of your pets healthcare plan. Some people may think otherwise but keep in mind that any pet at any age is at risk for getting parasites and a lot of these parasites can be transmitted to humans.

Having your pets poop sample checked 1-2 times a year is part of being a responsible pet owner.

But when, where and how do you get that poop sample successfully to the vets office?

Have no fear, that’s why Jen is here!

Here are my 5 tips on getting that all important stool sample to your vet!

1. The fresher the better. If your dogs poop has been sitting out in the back yard for 3 days, leave it there. A 3 day poop sample is not very diagnostic. The same goes for cat poop. A cat poop that has been sitting in the litter box for 3 days and is severely dehydrated, you know, it cracks like a stick, is not a good sample.

2. Storage is key. If your pet has an appointment in the afternoon but only poops in the morning, that’s o.k. You can store it in your fridge, or in cooler weather, outside. Do not store it in the freezer or leave it baking in the hot sun, and for pete’s sake, do not leave it in your car.

3. Bigger is not better. Most vets and labs only need a small amount of poop to run a fecal sample. About the size of 2 sugar cubes. (double check with your vet just to be sure) You do not need to bring the whole pile of poop.

4. Pick your container wisely. Most vet offices should have fecal containers for you to take home and collect a sample. Other containers that work well are old pill bottles, or plastic containers. Containers that do not work well are ziploc bags-poop smashes easily. Grocery bags-leak and there is way too much room for the poop to move around and I have to stick my hand in there.(with gloves on of course) Aluminum foil works well for cat poop but not so much for dog poop-again, fresh poop smashes easily. Paper towels do not work well for obvious reasons. Poop bags work awesome and are great for all involved!!

5. Make sure you’re bringing poop. A clump of kitty urine is not going to be checked for parasites. A pile of mud may look like poop, but it is not. A stick covered in poop will be rejected. A pile of leaves with a little poop=not gonna happen.

Do you have any other tips to add? Maybe some secrets you are keeping about how you get your dogs poop to the vet? Please share!

olivia Rubin

Great tips, especially if I need to transport snake poop (nappy bags obviously). One piece of advice though if youre going for the salad bar container, see-through containers are great for making sure you dont mistake the contents for salad, but might make people in the waiting room feel queasy – and people in the street give you a wide berth!

I’ve been able to pick up poo in a poop bag and store it on the porch (cool weather) until the vet appointment. The only bummer is that if your vet doesn’t have the proper tests, you can get a false positive (or negative) which we experienced.

It’s funny that when it comes to other dogs, the idea of picking up their poop is gross, not with our dogs. It’s not a day in the park, but it’s not terrible either.

OMG you are busting my gut this week. “it cracks like a stick?” LOL I (as you know) am a rule breaker. Yes, yes I am. I take the poop in the zip lock baggie, only because I had never thought to stick it in an old pill bottle, but now you’ve told me, I’m on the case.;-)

I always use a plastic container too. Usually what I do is take a plastic spoon and knife and cut out the top portion of the poo that hasn’t touched the ground so it doesn’t have any debris in it. I am grateful I have a block fence so my neighbors don’t see me in my yard looking like I’m about ready to feast on some dog poop. And yes I usually store it in the fridge if the appointment isn’t right away. Great tips – glad to know I am doing things correctly!

I’m LOLing about your #3… so true! I had no idea ziplock bags weren’t a good thing though… we’ve always used them when we didn’t have the little poop containers from the vet’s office, and they’ve never suggested otherwise. hmm… We do have many old pill bottles though!

Great post! THANK YOU for telling people that bigger is not better!!! I am a vet tech, and we used to get the HUGEST samples that would stink up the whole clinic lol. People would cram the containers until they were practically overflowing with fecal material.

Just on the light side, Lexie and Mica do not like for you to watch them go to the bathroom. They will try to move to a spot in the yard they hope you can’t see. I therefore let them out and watch out the back window. They rarely go at the same time or place which makes it pretty to see where they go and sneak out a few minutes later and get some!

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